Mod 9 Discussion: Oral Language Support in My Classroom

Two key principles for academic discussion that were discussed in the text were inclusive participation and staying on topic through usage of a focus question. I post my focus question on the board and train my students to use sentence starters that I also post on chart paper. I also like to “pull (popsicle) sticks” to help make sure I’m being inclusive and fair during discussion. 

A reading takeaway for me after reading this section is that there are lots of activities and strategies to do before discussion that give students more time to delve into the content. Prior to discussion, I can build my student’s’ understanding by having them brainstorm, complete concept maps, share thinking with partners, analyze case studies, and pre-teach vocabulary- just to name a few. I intend to do more of these prior to discussion, so that students don’t feel thrown into a conversation where they have nothing to add. 

I think sentence starters are a useful tool to help students structure their thoughts around the key principles of academic discussion.